About the Book

In a wild country, the true cost of love may be more than they can bear

Beautiful and winsome, Betsy Zook never questioned her family’s rigid expectations, nor those of devoted Hans—but then she never had to. Not until the night she’s taken captive in a surprise Indian raid. Facing brutality and hardship, Betsy finds herself torn between her pious upbringing and the feelings she’s developing for a native man who encourages her to see God in all circumstances.

Greatly anguished by Betsy’s captivity, Hans turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort. She responds eagerly, overlooking troubling signs of Hans’s hunger for revenge. But if Betsy is ever restored to the Amish, will things between Hans and Tessa have gone too far?

Inspired by true events, this deeply layered novel gives a glimpse into the tumultuous days of prerevolutionary Pennsylvania through the eyes of two young, determined, and faith-filled women.

I’m a huge fan of Amish romance novels. I can’t put them down. When I agreed to read and review The Return by Suzanne Woods Fisher, I expected the typical Amish romance novel. The Return was very different. I didn’t know it is the third book in a series called Amish Beginnings. I had no idea it is considered historical fiction, inspired by true events. You’ll recognize colonial historical figures mentioned in the book, intertwined into the lives of the characters. I have always enjoyed colonial history, but I never thought I would learn so much about this time period in an Amish novel. I learned more about the relationships between certain Indian tribes and the settlers of the era. I learned more about the role John Elder played in that time period. I didn’t know much about the Conestoga Indians or the famous Conestoga wagon until I read The Return. When you read this book, you’re likely to learn some new facts about colonial history while you enjoy the story.

The Return keeps you interested in the development of several love stories at the same time. You’ll expect some stories to follow the paths they do, but you might be surprised at the direction of others.

This Amish story is not the typical Amish romance but it is well worth the read. You can get your copy here.

About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Anna’s Crossing and The Newcomer in the Amish Beginnings series, The Bishop’s Family series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Guest Post from Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Three Sisters’ Garden: Corn, Squash & Beans!

Corn was a new food to the immigrants to the New World, introduced to them by Native Americans. Soon, it became an essential part of their daily diet, in one form or another. Growing it brought yet another new discovery: companion planting in the form of the Three Sisters’ Garden.

According to Iroquois legend, corn, squash and beans were three inseparable sisters who only grew and thrived together. 18th century Native Americans wouldn’t have understood the science behind why companion planting worked, but they knew it did. Beans, like all legumes, have bacteria living on their roots that help them absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use. Corn, which requires a lot of nitrogen to grow, benefits from the legumes and provides a pole support for the beans to climb. Low growing squash leaves shade the soil and prevent weed growth. Their sharp and prickly leaves deter pests. This tradition, of planting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, became a sustainable system to provide long-term soil fertility among Native American tribes that farmed.

The wisdom of planting Three Sisters’ Garden was adopted by the immigrants, including our own Betsy Zook from The Return. Betsy learned of the technique while a captive among a tribe of Indians and later, after she had been returned to the Amish, shared her knowledge with Anna and Bairn.

Have you ever considered growing a Three Sisters’ garden? All you need is the right kind of seeds, a mound of dirt in a sunny spot, and to not forget to water. Mother Nature will do the rest.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling, award-winning author of novels about the Old Order Amish. Her interest in the Plain People began with her grandfather, who was raised as a Dunkard (German Baptist) on a farm in Pennsylvania. Suzanne loves to connect with readers! You can find her on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Have you ever had a message come across your phone screen or maybe in an email that just slapped you silly? Well, that happened to me today. Three years ago, my son got married and moved out. I cried buckets for months. This week, one of my daughters moved into an apartment. I cried again. I’m still crying. It’s just a matter of time before my youngest child moves out too. I’ve decided that this empty nest stuff is “for the birds!” All my children are growing up and moving out. I don’t like it. I feel old. I’ve struggled with this stage of life for a long time. Some days, I do OK, but most days, I’m an emotional mess. I miss being young with young children. I miss all the chaos of raising my babies. There was a time when I thought it would never end. I was so tired. Now, I just want it all back. I want my babies back and all the messiness that came with them . . . but I can’t get all that back. They’ve grown and flown just like they were supposed to and we’re so proud of them . . . but I feel old and I don’t like it. Earlier today as I walked into my children’s rooms and stared at the emptiness, I felt so old. I was still feeling sad and lonely when I came across an article titled What God Says About Getting Older. It is written by Paige at Dayspring Cards and Gifts.

The article popped up at just the right moment, sort of “slapping me silly.” It was as if the Lord was telling me to stop feeling sorry for myself. He isn’t done with me yet. I’m still living and I’m really not that old. In Paige’s article, she explains how God’s Word tells us that getting older is an honor.

Enjoy the first part of Paige’s article about what God says about getting older below. Then, you’ll click through and finish reading it at Dayspring. If you’re in the same stage of life as me and you’re feeling a little sad (and old) as you watch your children leave the nest one by one, you’ll want to read this entire article.

What God Says About Getting Older

by Paige at Dayspring

Imagine celebrating your birthday like you’re 10 years old again. Full of joy, excited for the year ahead, doing something you love with the ones who make you smile.

Why do so many of us stop celebrating as the years pass? Birthdays come and go – maybe there’s a dinner involved, a few cards, some well wishes online. We move up one number, and it’s business as usual.

What would it look like to really celebrate our years again – to begin shifting our focus from the fear of aging, to the rich, full lives God is calling us into as the years pass?

“Why grow old gracefully?” Says a beautiful, wrinkle-free woman, “I intend to fight it every step of the way!”

But what does God say about it all? If we listen to the One Who created us, we will hear all about grace and goodness; not fear and resistance.

He reminds us more than once in His Word that growing older is an honor. “Gray hair is a glorious crown…” Proverbs 16:31 CSB. The more years we live, the more experiences we’re given to learn from, and the more wisdom and perspective we gain to see life in new and beautiful ways. When we see someone in their later years (or when we look in the mirror and it’s us!) let’s remember what a gift that is. [Read more . . . ]

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Post Credits: The photo credit for the main/top image in this post goes to Free-Photos at Pixabay.

Young children use their senses to explore the world around them. They love touching objects, feeling the various textures as they try to make sense of them. According to Sally Fitzgerald, a Good Start Early Learning Senior Occupational Therapist, sensory play is crucial for brain development. Sensory play “helps children build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways.” We love the Baby’s Very First Touchy Feely Animals Book because it provides an opportunity for sensory play for our youngest little readers.

We love our Baby’s Very First Touchy Feely Animals Book – Photos of book pages taken by Tina Truelove.

The Touchy Feely Animals book is just the right size for little hands. Babies and toddlers can hold the book in their hands or laps. They have no trouble turning the pages of this adorable little board-book.

The pages are easy for babies and toddlers to hold and turn. Photo Credit – Tina Truelove

Each page offers an opportunity for the little reader to touch and feel a different texture.

Soft and Fluffy – Photos of book pages taken by Tina Truelove.

This little lamb feels soft and fluffy.

Bumpy Frog – Photos of book pages taken by Tina Truelove.

This frog feels bumpy.

While children touch and feel all the fun textures, they’ll also enjoy reading about some of their favorite animals such as a shiny fish, a soft bunny rabbit, a hairy dog, and several others.

The English language is alphabet based. It is important to teach children to recognize letters. They need to recognize upper and lower case letters. They also need to differentiate between letters that look similar. Kids need to know that M and W are two different letters. They need to realize that a and A are the same letter but they are used differently in the English language. Letter recognition is obviously a foundational step in teaching children to read. There are many ways to teach children to recognize letters. Parents and teachers should use as many methods as possible. Different children learn in different ways. Using multiple methods to teach letters provides more exposure. More exposure means that children are more likely to master the skill of letter recognition. I’ve created a cute letter matching game for kids, the Fish Bowl Letter Matching Game.

To play the game, children match the lower case letter on the fish to the upper case letter on the fish bowl. Kids can check their letter matching skills by turning the fish bowl over to check their work. If the lower case letter fish on the back of the fish bowl matches the upper case letter on the front fish bowl, then the letters are matched correctly.

Fish Bowl Letter Matching Game – Photo Credit – Tina Truelove

The Fish Bowl Letter Matching Game is free for you to use in your home, in-home daycare, or classroom. Since it’s in your child’s best interest learn in various ways, I’ve gathered a list of several other letter matching games and activities for you to consider. After checking out lots of different ways to teach letter recognition to your kids, you’ll find a link to my free Fish Bowl Letter Matching Game at the end of this post.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Grandpa Hugs by Laura Neutzling . . . what a sweet book for children! Both of my grandfathers passed away a long time ago. I loved them both dearly and I miss them every single day. Grandpa Hugs brought back a lot of sweet memories of them. This cute little book is about the things children do with their grandpas. They visit their favorite places, enjoy ice cream together, and laugh at jokes. They take walks, play games, read, and pray together. The characters in the book are all animals. Children who read this book will enjoy watching bunnies, monkeys, elephants, sheep, giraffes, tigers, owls, dogs, bears, and even wolves make memories with their grandpas. Grandpa Hugs is a great book for grandfathers to keep at home to read with their grandchildren when they come to visit. Parents who read this book to their children should find it as a useful tool for teaching children to love, honor, and respect their grandfathers.

Grandpa Hugs is a new 2017 publication. It is a durable board book so it should last through lots and lots of book-loving. It is well illustrated with appealing soft colors by Cee Biscoe.

My in-home daycare children love it and I’m sure your kids will love it too. Get your copy by clicking the link below.

I’ve created a few printables to go along with the book. If you have children who are learning to read, you will find the vocabulary cards helpful. This book is intended for toddlers, but my 4 year old kids enjoyed it too. My older kids were the inspiration for the vocabulary cards and the graph below. I made 10 cards using different words that were used in the book and also 10 cards using the names of the animal characters in the book. If you like, you can print out two sets of the cards, lay them face-down, and play a concentration game.

Grandpa Hugs Vocabulary Flash Cards

Grandpa Hugs Animal Flash Cards

I created a little class graph for my kids to color. In my small group, I told each child to color one box that describes his or her favorite thing to do with his or her grandpa. Their choices were: church, Grandpa’s house, ice cream shop, library, and the toy store. They had a hard time choosing just one thing so I let them color in more than one. My little crew loves spending time with their grandpas! If you choose to download the printable, I’ve included a blank copy of this graph for your kids to color.

Grandpa Hugs Class Graph

Click the link below to download the free printable which includes 20 vocabulary cards and a blank copy of the graph above.

If you’re just joining us, our pastor has been leading us in a series of sermons on The Lord’s Prayer. I’ve been sharing my notes on our Bible studies. Today’s Bible study is on Praising God. Our main scripture passage is Matthew 6:13b. You’ll find our pastor’s, Jeff Crook’s, sermon series on our church website here.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. – Matthew 6:13b

An angel is never called “all mighty” in scripture. Neither are humans. This title is reserved only for God.

“Thine is the glory” . . . “Glory” means “majestic brightness.”1. We are to reside in His kingdom. Where God is is where His kingdom is. Our hearts reside there if we are believers.

So that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. – 1 Thessalonians 2:12

We are more interested in building our kingdom than building God’s kingdom. Make life about God’s kingdom.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. – Matthew 6:33

Whatever you want God to bless, put Him first in that area. Then, watch what He does. If you want God to bless your finances, then put God first in your finances. TITHE!

Apply this principle to other (ALL) areas of your life:

Finances
Interests
Relationships
Schedule
Trouble

2. We are to rely on His power.

For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. – 1 Corinthians 4:20

God does not bless self-reliance. He blesses those who depend on HIM.We practice dependence without expectancy. Expect God to do something big in your life.God’s power is unleashed every time we pray. Prayer is being plugged into the power of God.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. – James 5:16

Don’t just say it . . . PRAY IT!

God’s power is unleashed when we step out in faith. Often, God’s power comes DURING instead of before a conflict.

We have to step out.

The Jordon River wasn’t rolled back until they put their feet in the water.

When we are weak, HE is strong. When we are inadequate, He is adequate.

3. We are to remember God’s glory.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. – Romans 11:36

God did not make me for me. He made me for Himself . . . for His glory.

It’s not about making money. It’s about making a difference.

Don’t rob God’s glory. Don’t rob God of His glory.

“To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all God has entrusted to us.” – Truett Cathy

To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. – Ephesians 3:21

For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. – 2 Corinthians 4:15

The more we talk about Jesus, the more glory God gets.

God is forever.

We will spend eternity somewhere. Are you born again? Where will you spend eternity?

There was a time when you were not, but there will never be a time when you will no longer be. Where will you spend that time?

Our next Bible study on the topic of The Lord’s prayer is about temptation. You’ll find a variety of sermon series from our pastor on our church website here. Our main scripture passage for today is Matthew 6:13.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

We are on a hit list . . .Satan’s hit list.1. Temptation is not a sin.

2. Temptation is an opportunity for great spiritual growth in the life of a Jesus-Follower.

Pray for God to get you through it and grow you through it.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. – James 1:2-3

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. – James 1:13-14

Tests motivate us and measure us in order to grow us. God does not tempt us but He allows temptation from the enemy to test us.

3. Temptation is a tool the devil uses to destroy us. Satan’s purpose is to destroy us.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8

Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. – Matthew 26:41

Watch and pray!

We are prone to temptation:

when our bodies are weak and worn down.

when we are preparing for a great spiritual undertaking.

after enjoying a great spiritual incidence (for example, after a church camp.)

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. – James 1:14

4. All temptations fall under these three areas:

A. Pleasure’
B. Possessions
C. Pride

5. There are four stages in every temptation.

Desire – I want it.
Doubt – I’m not good enough anyway.
Deception – We believe lies such as “noone will find out” or “God doesn’t care what I do.”
Disobedience – We give in to sin.

6. God helps us through His Spirit.

He guides us.
He convicts us. We are uncomfortable because we know it is wrong.
If there is not conviction of sin in your life, you are not saved.

7. God helps us through His Word.

Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might no sin against thee. – Psalm 119:11

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